The letter that is linked in the adjacent box should be of major interest to anyone doing mobile painting. It is from the EPA to the Society of Collision Repair Specialists and talks about the NESHAP6H ruling and specifically how the 3oz cup rule is being viewed by the EPA.

Starting immediately if you are a new mobile auto body worker, or by January 10, 2011 if you have an established business you will need to comply with The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP.)

Below you will find two documents from the EPA regarding NESHAP. The first is the full 32 page ruling. The second is a summary that they have published.

FAST Shelter will help you comply with two very important aspects of the ruling: work area enclosure and filtered vent system.

1. Requirement for walls and a roof: The ruling requires either “a roof and four full walls for those performing complete auto body refinishing” or “a roof and three walls for those performing refinishing on miscellaneous auto body parts.” FAST Shelteroffers both solutions. Our models 650, 850 and 950 cover the entire vehicle. Our models 450 and 550 cover less than the full vehicle.

2. Requirement for a filter system:The second requirement is a filter system which “achieves at least 98% capture efficiency.”

FAST Shelter offers a filter system which uses a filter media which is 99%+ efficient in removing solids. It also provides sufficient air flow to provide a minimum of six air changes per hour within the shelter. It is not designed to ventilate a full auto body refinishing by itself but rather to provide filtration for panel and touch up type refinishing.

We meet the EPA standards with the shelter and the filter system but what is often forgotten is that there are other governmental regulations which must be met. For instance the NFPA fire code requires that the shelter be constructed of flame retardant materials. Our shelter is and is labeled as such. Additionally, OSHA requires at least six air changes per hour and, when fitted with the filter system, FAST Shelter has considerably more. All of these details are set forth in our new manual so when the technician is approached by a DEP, Health or Fire inspector they can produce an organized response.

Remember too, that perception of compliance is important. Working without the shelter only begs for a closer look. If a tech is working inside of a shelter the appearance is of professionalism and adherence to regulation. Your customers will appreciate that point. And speaking of customers, the cost of non-compliance is high. The technician may be fined as well as the dealership. So dealer protection is another valuable incentive to use your techs over a non-compliant vendor. FAST Shelter is constantly making improvements to its products and will continue to monitor and stay abreast of the changing governmental landscape.